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The GI Map is the most comprehensive stool test available. It uses DNA analysis to identify pathogens, bacterial imbalances, parasites, and fungi — plus zonulin, the only clinical marker for intestinal permeability, better known as leaky gut.
This is one of the most common things I hear. Standard gastroenterology tests look for obvious disease — they are not designed to detect the subtle imbalances in your microbiome that drive chronic symptoms.
The GI Map was built specifically for this gap. It uses quantitative PCR technology — the same DNA analysis used in advanced medical research — to detect organisms and markers that conventional stool cultures simply miss.
Understanding the Test
The GI Map (Gastrointestinal Microbial Assay Plus) is a specialty stool test developed by Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory. It uses quantitative PCR — DNA-based technology — to detect and measure specific organisms and markers in your gut with a level of precision that traditional culture-based stool tests cannot achieve.
Unlike a standard stool test ordered by a gastroenterologist, the GI Map doesn’t just look for obvious infections. It maps your entire gut ecosystem — the balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria, the presence of parasites and fungi, how well your digestion is functioning, and whether your gut lining is intact or compromised.
The zonulin marker included in this test is particularly important. Zonulin is a protein that regulates the tight junctions in your intestinal wall. When elevated, it indicates that your gut barrier is permeable — allowing undigested proteins, toxins, and bacteria to leak into your bloodstream and trigger systemic inflammation.
What the GI Map measures
H. pylori, E. coli, Salmonella and more
Intestinal permeability / leaky gut
Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and more
Candida and other overgrowths
Keystone and commensal bacteria
Secretory IgA, anti-gliadin IgA
Could This Be You?
Often caused by bacterial overgrowth or undetected pathogens
Alternating bowel habits are a classic sign of gut dysbiosis
H. pylori infection is a frequently missed cause
Can indicate inflammation, parasites, or microbiome imbalance
Can indicate inflammation, candida, or intestinal permeability
These are the symptoms most people never connect to their gut — but that the GI Map frequently helps explain.
90% of your serotonin is made in the gut. When your gut microbiome is imbalanced or your gut lining is compromised, it directly affects neurotransmitter production — which is why gut dysfunction shows up as mood disorders, anxiety, and cognitive symptoms just as often as digestive ones.
What the GI Map Detects
The GI Map tests over 50 markers across six major categories. Together they give a complete picture of what is living in your gut, how your digestion is functioning, whether your immune system is under strain, and whether your gut barrier is intact.
Harmful bacteria that cause direct damage to the gut lining and trigger inflammation, often present for years without detection.
Parasitic infections are far more common than most people assume and are a frequently missed cause of IBS-like symptoms.
Candida and other fungal overgrowths disrupt the microbiome, promote leaky gut, and drive sugar cravings, fatigue, and brain fog.
Mapping both beneficial and opportunistic bacteria reveals dysbiosis — the imbalance that underlies most chronic gut and systemic symptoms.
Elastase levels show how well your pancreas is producing digestive enzymes — a critical factor in nutrient absorption and overall gut function.
Secretory IgA reflects your gut immune defense. Zonulin directly measures intestinal permeability — the leaky gut marker conventional tests never include.
The Leaky Gut Marker
Zonulin is a protein produced in the gut that controls the tight junctions between intestinal cells — the microscopic gates that decide what gets through your gut wall and into your bloodstream.
When zonulin levels are elevated, those gates stay open longer than they should. Undigested food particles, bacterial toxins, and other substances cross into the bloodstream and trigger your immune system. The result is systemic inflammation that shows up everywhere — in your joints, your skin, your brain, and your mood.
Most doctors never test for it. The GI Map is one of the only tests that includes zonulin as a clinical marker, which is why it so frequently explains symptoms that have stumped conventional medicine for years.
Intestinal permeability — visualized
Tight junctions compromised. Toxins, undigested proteins, and bacteria leak through — driving systemic inflammation.
of serotonin is produced in the gut lining
of the immune system lives in the gut
species of bacteria live in a healthy microbiome
people with IBS symptoms test positive for parasites
The gut-brain axis — how gut dysfunction shows up in your mind
Low serotonin and GABA from dysbiosis
Direct gut-to-brain communication pathway
Elevated zonulin and immune activation
Pathogens, overgrowths, or bacterial imbalance
The Gut-Brain Connection
This is not a metaphor. Your gut and brain are in constant two-way communication through the vagus nerve — and the state of your gut microbiome directly influences neurotransmitter production, stress response, and mood regulation.
This is why I use the GI Map with clients dealing with anxiety, OCD, ADHD, and depression just as often as with those dealing with digestive complaints. In many cases the gut is the origin of symptoms that have been treated as purely mental health issues for years.
GI Map vs. Standard Testing
Standard gastroenterology testing often misses the mark. The GI Map is
designed to find the functional imbalances that cause chronic everyday symptoms.
How It Works
The GI Map is a home collection stool test — no clinic visit, no prep procedure, no
discomfort. Here is exactly what working with Samantha looks like from start to finish.
01
We talk through your symptoms, history, and health goals to confirm whether GI Map testing is the right starting point for you.
02
After your initial intake session, I order the GI Map kit directly through Diagnostic Solutions. Your collection kit is mailed to your home with clear instructions.
03
You collect a single stool sample at home following the simple instructions provided. The kit ships back to the lab in the pre-paid return packaging.
04
Once results are in I build your personalized treatment plan. We meet to review every finding together and begin your nutrition, supplement, and lifestyle protocol. Monthly follow-up sessions keep your plan on track.
years in practice
Why Work With Samantha
A detailed stool test report means nothing without someone who knows how to read it in the context of your full health picture. I don’t just look at what the test flagged — I look at how your gut findings connect to your mental health symptoms, nutrient status, hormone levels, and daily life.
I’m Samantha Gilbert, a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor with over 20 years of experience. The gut-brain connection is central to my practice. Many of my clients dealing with anxiety, OCD, ADHD, and depression find that healing their gut is the missing piece they never knew to look for.
Common Questions
The GI Map is a specialty stool test that uses quantitative PCR technology — DNA analysis — to detect and measure over 50 markers in your gut. This includes bacterial pathogens like H. pylori, parasites, fungi, your overall microbiome balance, digestive enzyme levels, immune markers, and zonulin for intestinal permeability. It gives a complete picture of your gut health that standard stool tests cannot come close to matching.
Standard stool tests use culture-based methods that miss many organisms entirely — they can only detect what physically grows in a lab culture. The GI Map uses PCR DNA technology that identifies the genetic fingerprint of organisms, making it far more sensitive and accurate. It also includes zonulin, microbiome balance markers, immune function, and digestive enzyme levels that conventional testing simply does not offer.
Absolutely — and this is often the most important thing my clients learn. Around 90% of your serotonin is produced in the gut. Dysbiosis disrupts that production. Elevated zonulin allows bacterial toxins to enter the bloodstream and cross the blood-brain barrier, driving neuroinflammation. H. pylori depletes zinc and B12, both of which are critical for mental health. In my practice, the GI Map regularly uncovers the gut root of symptoms that have been treated as purely psychological for years.
Once the lab receives your sample, results are typically ready within 2 weeks. After that, I review your full report and build your personalized treatment plan. We then meet to go through everything together — I explain exactly what each finding means for your specific situation and walk you through your nutrition, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations in detail.
It depends entirely on your symptoms and history. Some clients start with the GI Map alone. Others benefit from combining it with additional testing — such as the DUTCH hormone test, urine kryptopyrrole for Pyrrole disorder, or bloodwork for zinc, copper, and nutrient status. During your initial consultation we decide together which combination of tests will give us the most useful starting picture for your specific situation.
Zonulin is a protein that regulates the tight junctions in your intestinal wall — the microscopic gates that control what passes from your gut into your bloodstream. When zonulin is elevated, those junctions are too open, allowing toxins, bacteria, and undigested food particles to leak through. This is known as intestinal permeability or leaky gut, and it drives systemic inflammation that shows up far beyond the gut — in your joints, skin, brain, and mood.
Not at all. Your GI Map kit arrives by mail and includes everything you need — collection tubes, a sample collection device, clear step-by-step instructions, and a pre-paid return shipping label. You collect a small stool sample at home at your convenience, place it in the provided tube, and mail it back to the lab. The whole process takes a few minutes and most clients find it very straightforward.
Not typically. It is a specialty functional lab test ordered outside the conventional medical system and is an out-of-pocket cost. During your free discovery call I will walk you through current pricing and help you decide whether GI Map testing is the right first step based on your symptoms and history, or whether other tests should take priority.
Yes. I work with international clients regularly. The GI Map kit can be mailed to a US address — such as a UPS mailbox or a friend or family member in the states — and then shipped back to the lab from within the US. I have several clients in Canada, including many in Vancouver, BC, who have set this up without issue. If you live in a country where the test can be ordered through a local provider, we can often arrange that. Reach out during your discovery call, and we will find the best solution for your situation.
Once all your results are in I build your personalized starting treatment plan. We meet to review your findings together — I translate the data into a specific, practical plan covering foods, targeted supplements, and lifestyle changes. From there we meet monthly with updates as your gut heals and your symptoms improve, and you can message me between sessions for additional support whenever you need it. You are never left to figure things out on your own.
Book your free 20-minute discovery call with Samantha. We will talk through your symptoms and history and figure out whether GI Map testing is the right next step for you.